Grid tray



y 12, 1950/ A. EFFGEN GRID TRAY Filed Nov. 24, 1958 fl fifi tes Patent Tice GRID TRAY Anton Ettgen, Westwood, Mass. (575 Albany St., Boston, Mass.)

Filed Nov. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 775,850

4 Claims. (Cl. 220-22) This invention relates to a compartmented tray for holding a considerable number of small objects separately for cleansing, as for example grids for vacuum tubes. Such grids must be thoroughly cleansed before being sealed in a tube. For this purpose the grids are submerged in a cleaning liquid and then heated strongly to drive 01f residual cleaning liquid and to burn off any surface matter which may not have been washed. away by the cleaning liquid. It is desirable, however, that the grids be not directly exposed to a flame.

According to the igvention, a tray is provided which is made of relatively simple sheet metal stampings, which is provided with drain passages for the escape'of cleansing liquid, and which protects the contents of the compartments from contact by a flame which may be directed against the bottom of the tray after the cleansing liquid has been drained ofi. The construction of the tray is illustrated on the drawing, of which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tray embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective fragmentary view of sample parts constituting the tray shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, on the line 33 of Figure l, on a larger scale; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The tray illustrated on the drawing is preferably of sheet metal as it is intended for exposure to flame. The tray is composed of a container which is preferably shallow and rectangular in form. This container can readily be made by turning up the margins of a rectangular piece of sheet metal to form the end walls 12 and side walls 14 which rise from the bottom 16 of the container. Within the container are metal strips 18 which have been reversely bent at regular intervals to form inverted-V walls 20 or corrugations spaced by flat floor portions 22. The corrugated strips 18 are arranged side 7 by side in the container and extend transversely thereof,

that is, from one side wall 14 to the other. Between each pair of successive strips 18 is an angle member 30 having an upright vertical portion 32 which rises to substantially the same height as the inverted-V walls 20 and is abutted by ends of the inverted-V walls of the two corrugated strips contiguous thereto. Each angle member 30 also has a horizontal flange 34 which underlies a marginal portion of one of the contiguous strips 18. The inverted-V walls 20 of the several strips '18 are preferably arranged in alignment, as indicated in Figure 1, so that the walls 20 and the upright portions 32 of the angle members define regular rows and columns of small rectangular compartments in the container :10, the inverted-V walls forming the longitudinal partitions, the angle members forming the transverse partitions.

To permit the escape of liquid from the container, the bottom 16 thereof is provided with holes 40 which may conveniently be arranged in rows and columns. Each column of holes 40 is located directly under one of the inverted-V walls 20 which extend longitudinally from one end wall 12 to the other except as interrupted by Patented July 12, 1960 the-transverse partitions 32. While the side edges of the corrugated strips 20 abut or nearly abut the upright walls 32, they do not fittightly against these walls. Hence there are slight clearances through which liquid in the compartments can leak out through the holes 40 was to drain the container. To expedite such leakage, the ends of the inverted-V wall elements 20 are cut away at the bottom to form openings 42 from the interior of each compartment to the inside of the inverted-V walls thereof, these walls being directly over the holes 40. The holes 40, however, are longitudinally offset from the openings 42, except where the flanges 34 underlie such openings, so that there is no direct aperture or passage from within the container through the bottom thereof, the drainage passages being tortuous, so that if flame is directed against the bottom of the tray, the contents of the compartments will be shielded from direct contact by the flame.

In making the corrugated strips 18, a blank of suitable length is notched along its side edges at the places where the bends will be made to form the bases of the inverted-V walls. If these notches are semicircular, the resulting corrugated strip will have cut-away corners 42 not only of the walls 20 but also of the flats 22 to facilitate the escape of liquid from the compartments.

The tray consisting of the parts assembled as shown, is usable even if the strips 18 and angle members 30 are not secured in place. I prefer, however, to attach the strips and angle members permanently to the container. For this purpose a few spot welds 44 are convenient and effective. A couple of such welds through each side margin of each strip 18 and the bottom 16 will usually be ample for the purpose.

I claim:

1. A compartmented tray comprising a shallow rectangular container with side walls and end walls, means dividing the interior of the container into rows and columns of rectangular compartments, said means comprising a series of elongated strips arranged side by side in said container and extending from one side wall to the other thereof, and an angle member between each pair of successive strips, said angle members extending from said one side wall of the container to the other side wall thereof, said strips being shaped with reversely bent portions forming at intervals inverted-V walls whichrise to substantially the same height as said angle members and define therewith said compartments, the bottom of said container having holes therethrough under said inverted-V walls but offset from the side edges of said strips.

2. A tray as described in claim 1, each said inverted-V wall being cut away at its bottom at both ends thereof.

3. A tray as described in claim 2. and spot welds securing said strips and angle members to the bottom of said container.

4. A compartmented tray comprising a shallow rectangular container with side walls and end walls, said container having a series of holes through the bottom thereof arranged in transverse rows and longitudinal columns, a plurality of elongated transversely corrugated members within said container extending transversely thereof from one sidewall to the other, whereby the corrugations of said members extend longitudinally of the container, the corrugations of said member consisting of inverted-V walls alternating with flat floor portions, and an angle member extending transversely of the container from one side wall thereof to the other between each successive pair of corrugated members, the upright portion of each angle member being disposedrbetween ends of the inverted V-walls of one contiguous corrugated member and ends of the inverted V-walls of the other corrugated member contiguous thereto,

each said angle member having a horizontal flange disposed between a margin of one of the corrugated members contiguous thereto and the bottom of said container, the inverted V-walls of each corrugated member being aligned with corresponding V- Walls of all the other corru'gated members in the container to form longitudinal compartment Walls interrupted by said transversely extending angle members and registering with columns of said holes through the bottom of said container, the side References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ramsay Apr. 23, 1895 Greer Feb. 14, 1956 

